Mommy
by Glitter's Infatuation
Summary: What is the chink in Nini's infamous armour?


Mommy

By Glitter's Infatuation.

For my girls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

With a mad flurry of canary yellow and scarlet red, the infamous temptation that was Nini Legs-in-the-Air strode angrily out of the large double doors of the Moulin Rouge, her face twisted with anger and her mouth muttering unspeakable curses. The surrounding garden was full of suited gentlemen, delicately dressed ladies, and outrageous stereotypes that made up the can-can clan, and every one of them gaped with their mouths open at the raven-haired temptress. Nini glared.

"What the bloody hell are you staring at? Fuck off!"

With a final snarl and whish of her skirts, Nini turned on her heel and stalked out of the garden and into the dank streets of Montmartre. Still stalking like an enclosed panther, Nini strode across the dim street, her skirt like a beacon. She passed a drunk who barely had time to whistle before Nini almost snapped his head off with a vicious stream of words that would make a priest faint. She cut down into an alley, her mouth still muttering.

"Bloody Diamond…who the hell does she think she is? Taking my man…selfish bitch…no right…bloody ponce…I'd have shown him a better time…sex on fucking legs…he'll just end up paying more…"

She continued cursing the Diamond and the gentleman she had lost whilst all the while weaving in and out of dark alleyways, her head held high and her fists balled tightly by her sides. The moon seemed to hide as Nini walked deeper and deeper into the abyss of black as the shadowy streets stole the faint light away. Suddenly, she stopped, fished about in her brassiere for a key, almost blew a hole in the door trying to shove it in, twisted the lock with a final grunt and threw open the door.

The hallway was midnight black, and a soft light was glimmering softly at the end of the hall, hidden by the closed door. Grabbing a handful of coins, jewels and notes from a mysterious pocket in her skirt, Nini didn't slam the contents onto the nearby table. Almost as if all her energy had been sapped out of her, she gently rested the items onto the small wooden table, barely making a noise.

"Mommy? Mommy, is that you?"

A small young voice floated from the direction of the light, and Nini smiled to herself. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, before slipping off her shoes and answering.

"I'm home, sweetie, just wait there for me."

Her voice had changed. It was like everything that was the loud exuberant siren Nini Legs-in-the-Air had melted outside the front door, and all that remained was a young woman with a smile on her face and weary lines on her eyes. Her voice was soft, warm, pleasant, and her footsteps soft as she treaded over the wooden boards, closer to the light. When she reached the door, she stopped, closed her eyes, took a deep breath and stepped in.

The room, though tiny as it was, was barely lit by the single candle that burned in the centre of a rough wooden table. Posters illustrated by none other than Toulouse covered the walls, showing ones of Nini, Chocolat and the other Rouge girls. Two small chairs were set next to the table, and one was occupied by a girl, no older than six, her head bent low as she concentrated on something on the table. As soon as Nini entered, the girl's head flew up, a wave of her mother's ebony hair in a messy tangle about her head.

"Mommy!"

Her voice was excited, and Nini gazed at her daughter's beautiful face, the choppy haircut that was curly, not straight, the red lips that would never need lipstick, the rosy cheeks and her large round eyes, which held nothing but white irises and ice-blue rings of colour.

"Hey baby, you got a kiss for your mommy?"

Nini briskly strode over to where her daughter sat, in the very same spot as she had left her those many hours ago before the show. A stack of paper was on the table, and the floor was littered with knocked-over pencils and bits of chalk, a present from 'Uncle Harold'. Enveloping her into a hug, Nini gazed at the "pictures" her daughter had drawn. Her hand was uneducated, much like her mothers, yet it was smooth and flowing. She was adept at copying, so after only a few attempts with Nini holding her hand and guiding it around the paper, the pictures were innocent yet artistically good.

Nini broke away and walked into the small kitchen, where she began making dinner. As her daughter prattled away about what she had done in the night, Nini remembered with no fondness the night her daughter had entered the world.

~~

"What do you mean? You can't do this to me!" Seventeen-year-old Nini O'Hara held her stomach protectively as her mother gazed sternly from her seat across the living room. That's how it always was, there was never any closeness in the O'Hara family. Mother and father on one side of the room, Antonia, Lauren and Stephanie on the other side. Lauren and Stephanie were supposed to be upstairs, but Nini could hear them frantically fighting to hear on the other side of the door.

"Antonia, you have brought shame upon this family! It will not be tolerated any longer! Your father and I have discussed this deeply, and we cannot see any other answer. You will pack your things and leave tonight."

"You can't, you cannot do this! I'm your daughter!" Nini howled, tears pouring down her face, strands of dark hair clinging to her cheeks. "This isn't right, you can't really be serious, you can't just erase me out of history!"

"You are pregnant, unmarried, and a disgrace to this family! How could we go on, knowing what you had done?" Nini's father spoke up from next to his wife.

"What I had done? What about what you are doing! You simply cannot just get rid of me! This is my BABY!" The last word was a shriek, a forlorn cry that made the noise outside stop and both parents to flinch. They never used the word 'baby'. It was not the word to mention in the O'Hara household.

"Antonia, you have disgraced us, yourself and your life. As of midnight tonight, you are no longer part of this family. Goodbye, and good luck."

Nini's parents stood up and exited the room, and Stephanie and Lauren burst in, tears rolling down their cheeks. 

"Nini, they can't! I won't let them!" Twelve-year-old Stephanie fumed. She held her arms around her petite sister and hugged her fiercely. Six-year-old Lauren followed suit. The three sisters embraced, but Nini broke away first, muttering under her breath and flying upstairs, determined to pull a life together for her –and- her baby.

~~

"It's a girl! Oh, Nini darlin', it's a sodding great big girl!" Mome. Fromage, who also doubled as a baker's wife and midwife, exclaimed cheerily, handing the screaming child to Marie, who began to clean the wailing infant. Nini lay on the makeshift bed, her eyes rolling and panting heavily as China Doll lay another cool rag onto her boiling head. Nini stretched out her arms and tried to wanly grab her baby, maternal instincts taking over.

"Give me my sodding baby!" She rasped; all trace of etiquette and posh accent lost to a brawling London accent that grated the air. Since being disowned by her family, Nini had stumbled along the way and found herself in the loving yet eerily eccentric family that was the Moulin Rouge. She'd become an instant hit, and had performed almost every night up until the arrival of her daughter.

"Christ, look at her all legs in the air!" Satine, a fellow dancer and Nini's best friend hollered as Nini tried to get up, but ended up sprawling on her bare backside. "I'm gonna call you Nini Legs-in-the-Air now m'dear and see if I don't!"

"Don't you bloody dare!" Nini cajoled back, tears pouring down her face. Satine gently stepped over, carrying the baby in layers of white cloth, her own eyes shiny with tears. She sniffed loudly.

"Here you are, leggy, take a gander at this beauty."

In her arms, Nini felt a surge of love emanate for this tiny thing, all pink arms and legs, and a head of curly black hair. In her mother's arms, the girl stopped and opened her eyes. Something puzzled Nini. Her eyes were completely white, save for a bright blue ring around where the iris should be. 

"What's wrong with her? What's wrong with my baby?"

Marie quickly picked up the baby and inspected her. 

"I don't see anything Nini, love."

"Her eyes! Her eyes are all wrong!" Nini cried desperately as the baby's eyes were closed. They opened suddenly and everyone stared at the tiny baby, less than a few hours old, with nothing but blue in her eyes.

"She's blind, love."

"Blind?" Nini's voice was unsure, disbelieving. "Are you sure?"

"As day is night, my love. This little girl is blind."

"No!" A noise that sounded like a howl and a primal cry ripped from Nini's throat. Satine was immediately next to her, holding her tight while Marie held the sleeping baby in her arms.

"Come on, leggy, she'll be alright, everyone will love her, won't they?" Satine whispered into Nini's ear, rocking her back and forth in her arms.

"My baby…this is a punishment for being bad, my parents said she's be bad!" Nini crumbled until Marie spoke up.

"Nini, she's the most beautiful baby girl I've ever seen, even more so than my very own." At this, Satine's head shot up and glared at Marie. "Sorry, love, but you were a ball of redhaired terror, screaming like a bloody banshee! This one's a beaut, I tell you that for sure. What would be even better would be a name. Any suggestions?"

The room was immediately buzzing with names.

"Kelly!"

"Sarah!"

"Satine!" That was, obviously, Satine. Nini managed a weak grin and held her arms open to her baby. Clutching her tightly, Nini gazed at her small fingers, her mop of hair and dimple in her right cheek. One name popped out of her mouth.

"Molly."

"Ahh!" The room was full of ahh's and aww's.

"Molly Lauren Satine O'Hara." Nini finished with a flourish.

Satine beamed and placed a kiss on Nini's forehead, and then baby Molly's. The girls began to leave then, dashing to meet their gentlemen and to announce the baby's arrival. Soon, all that was left was Nini and Molly.

"I'll treat you right, I'll see to that. You're my precious, precious baby and I'm your mommy."

~~

"Mommy?" Molly's voice broke into Nini's memories.

"Coming now, sweetie!" Nini balanced a plateful of sandwiches onto a try and brought them into the main room. Molly was drawing again, and as she placed the tray onto the table, Nini gasped as she saw what her daughter was drawing.

Some places were unsure, yes, but to Nini it was better than any photo. Surrounded by red and gold, a couple stood in lovers' bliss as they held each other tightly. The man had a shock of black hair and bright green eyes, while the woman had a wave of crimson curls and piercing blue eyes.

It was Satine and Christian.

"Wh-Where did you get that from?" Nini's voice was unsure and it shook slightly. Molly looked up and beamed.

"The lady taught me."

"Who? What lady? When?" A jumble of questions poured out of Nini's mouth.

"The lady who visits me. She says she has my name, well, my middle name and she's ever so beautiful mommy, she let's me touch her face. She's like an angel."

"What did she say her name was?"

"Satine, like my middle name mommy!"

Nini blanched. Satine had been dead for months. A Sparkling Diamond had been hired in her place, yet the Moulin Rouge was falling into disrepair. Christian was also dead, an overdose of Absinthe leaving behind nothing more than a slumped body next to his typewriter, an apology to Satine for not finishing their story still stuck in the machine. Nini shook her head; it couldn't be true.

"Mommy, the lady stays with me when you're gone and sings me all sorts of funny songs! Never knew I could feel like this," Molly began to sing her voice almost identical to Satine's, high and pure. Nini shivered slightly.

"She says she's my angel and that she'll always be your friend." Molly giggled, "She talks about you, and she calls you leggy. She's my friend too. When did you meet her?"

Nini wiped away a small tear that had formed in the corner of hey eye and sighed deeply. Molly gazed at her; eyes empty yet filled with a knowledge that Nini knew she might never see. Holding her daughter's hand tightly, Nini began.

"Satine was my best friend in the whole world…"


End file.
